Of all the films to release under the "special" "Mastered in 4K" banner, Taxi Driver may be the most befuddling. It's not that it doesn't look fantastic -- it most certainly does -- but the film recently enjoyed a "Mastered in 4K" release back in April 2011. The only exterior difference? The old release doesn't tout the "4K" transfer all over the front of the box. The only nitty-gritty actual picture quality differences? Not many. Direct comparison of replay on a standard 1080p monitor reveals, at best, only a very small difference in color, with this specially branded "Mastered in 4K" release enjoying an ever-so-slightly deeper, more accurate, more vibrant palette. The transfer also enjoys a higher bitrate -- the entirety of the disc is devoted to the film, whereas the previous release housed quite a few supplements alongside the film -- which helps in revealing the absolute finest little nuanced details and colors and grain elements to look just a tad bit sharper, more pronounced, and more natural than the previous release. So this release does offer a marginally improved picture, but not so much that it warrants an upgrade save for the wealthiest and most demanding videophiles who must see Taxi Driver in the very finest presentation currently available. All of the comments from the older transfer apply here; just take the previous five-blue-B score add another .01 to the tally. Most aren't going to notice the difference, particularly those without Sony's new "Ultra 4K" monitors that upscale the material and are capable of revealing a greater color space.

That's what you get, Drink, for not appreciating the genius of When You Read This Letter.

Taxi Driver (1976) On a rewatch -Almost all shot at night, steam/fog, rainy streets, voice over, alienated & obsessed protagonist, Times Square, 42nd Street, Manhattan.... doesn't get much more Noir than this, and I bet most wouldn't think of this as a Neo Noir, 9/10 only because I didn't quite buy Jody Foster in her role. I think a Rosanna Arquette or Ellen Barkin may have been more convincing. Great Bernard Herman score.

« : April 20, 2015, 05:49:11 AM cigar joe »

"When you feel that rope tighten on your neck you can feel the devil bite your ass"!

I'm pretty sure anyone who makes a list of neo-noir would include TAXI DRIVER. If not that, what? There are probably a lot less books/discussions/lists of neo-noir than noir, but I can't see any list of neo-noir not including TAXI DRIVER. When discussing this movie, the word neo-noir may not hit your lips as instantly as it would if you were discussing, say, CHINATOWN, but no doubt TAXI DRIVER is as neo-noir as anything else.If it's true that some people don't include it on their neo-noir lists, maybe it is because Scorsese isn't known as a neo-noir director (in a way, just like Hitch wasn't known as a noir director, though if you view each of Hitch's films on its own, some would be considered noir.)

There are three types of people in the world, my friend: those who can add, and those who can't.

I'm pretty sure anyone who makes a list of neo-noir would include TAXI DRIVER. If not that, what? There are probably a lot less books/discussions/lists of neo-noir than noir, but I can't see any list of neo-noir not including TAXI DRIVER. When discussing this movie, the word neo-noir may not hit your lips as instantly as it would if you were discussing, say, CHINATOWN, but no doubt TAXI DRIVER is as neo-noir as anything else.If it's true that some people don't include it on their neo-noir lists, maybe it is because Scorsese isn't known as a neo-noir director (in a way, just like Hitch wasn't known as a noir director, though if you view each of Hitch's films on its own, some would be considered noir.)

It's probably the "it is because Scorsese isn't known as a neo-noir director" factor I'm sure

"When you feel that rope tighten on your neck you can feel the devil bite your ass"!

Taxi Driver (1976) On a rewatch -Almost all shot at night, steam/fog, rainy streets, voice over, alienated & obsessed protagonist, Times Square, 42nd Street, Manhattan.... doesn't get much more Noir than this, and I bet most wouldn't think of this as a Neo Noir, 9/10 only because I didn't quite buy Jody Foster in her role. I think a Rosanna Arquette or Ellen Barkin may have been more convincing. Great Bernard Herman score.

I don't quite buy it a s (neo) noir but I must tell you cj: I think, upon multiple revisits, that TD is perhaps the greatest movie ever made. Seriously, I ain't kidding.

No matter how cleverly you sneak up on a mirror, the reflection always looks you straight in the eye.

Taxi Driver has as many iconic scenes/lines/characters/moments as any movie ever, but somehow, when you put it all together, it's not one of my all-time faves. I mean, I give it a solid rating (8.5/10) and always enjoy it, but somehow, if I was told I was gonna die and could see 25 movies before I go, this wouldn't be near the top of my list. There's nothing I'd criticize in it, but it just doesn't "speak" to me as it does to so many other people. I could see myself changing my mind on this one day, as I see it more. And I do see it quite often – the movies I see most often are those considered classic but which I don't love, because every time they play on TV I tell myself, "Let me watch it again, maybe I'll see what everyone loves in it." So those are often the movies I watch the most. For three years, I didn't miss a showing of Citizen Kane on TCM (and they play it at least three times a year) until I finally came around to loving it. Maybe one day I'll feel Taxi Driver is a great movie. Now, I merely say it is very good

There are three types of people in the world, my friend: those who can add, and those who can't.

Taxi Driver has as many iconic scenes/lines/characters/moments as any movie ever, but somehow, when you put it all together, it's not one of my all-time faves. I mean, I give it a solid rating (8.5/10) and always enjoy it, but somehow, if I was told I was gonna die and could see 25 movies before I go, this wouldn't be near the top of my list. There's nothing I'd criticize in it, but it just doesn't "speak" to me as it does to so many other people. I could see myself changing my mind on this one day, as I see it more. And I do see it quite often – the movies I see most often are those considered classic but which I don't love, because every time they play on TV I tell myself, "Let me watch it again, maybe I'll see what everyone loves in it." So those are often the movies I watch the most. For three years, I didn't miss a showing of Citizen Kane on TCM (and they play it at least three times a year) until I finally came around to loving it. Maybe one day I'll feel Taxi Driver is a great movie. Now, I merely say it is very good

For me its the Jody factor, actually Cybill Shepherd would have been better as Iris, Jody Foster looks ridiculous in her outfits she almost hunches along clomping about on platform heels like a farm girl with a big floppy hat (perhaps that's look Scorsese wanted)

"When you feel that rope tighten on your neck you can feel the devil bite your ass"!

For three years, I didn't miss a showing of Citizen Kane on TCM (and they play it at least three times a year) until I finally came around to loving it.

It's interesting that you mention CK whilst talking about TD, because they both suffer from the same affliction: an unsympathetic lead character. Yeah, there are things about CFK and TB that make them entertaining, fun to watch, etc. but at the end of the day they aren't people you can admire or wish to emulate. That's why I prefer films with real heroes: LoA, A Man For All Seasons, OUATITW. I enjoy those films so much more. And while I can appreciate the artistry in something like TD--especially the photography and the score--it's the films with the better heroes I tend to revisit more often.

That's what you get, Drink, for not appreciating the genius of When You Read This Letter.

It's interesting that you mention CK whilst talking about TD, because they both suffer from the same affliction: an unsympathetic lead character. Yeah, there are things about CFK and TB that make them entertaining, fun to watch, etc. but at the end of the day they aren't people you can admire or wish to emulate. That's why I prefer films with real heroes: LoA, A Man For All Seasons, OUATITW. I enjoy those films so much more. And while I can appreciate the artistry in something like TD--especially the photography and the score--it's the films with the better heroes I tend to revisit more often.

yeah, well that's why you don't like gangster films; whether or not you like a character – as if they were in real life – is important to you.

To me, what's important (among other things) is whether or not I like watching the character. In real life I despise gangsters but in a movie, if I enjoy watching Cagney or Pacino or whoever – whether as a gangster or another character – I don't care if these are characters I wouldn't like in real life. Movies aren't real life. And I enjoy watching Travis Bickle very much.

There are three types of people in the world, my friend: those who can add, and those who can't.